The biological proximity between humans and other great apes is widely understood, with around a 98.8% degree of genetic similarity between us and chimpanzees. We share a common ancestor and thus have significant similarities with other great ape species – gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans. While these similarities should allow us to have more empathy for great apes held captive for their lifetimes in zoos, and require us to question their use as exhibits from both welfare and ethical standpoints, the opposite appears to be true. It seems that our fascination surrounding these animals – at once so like us and yet so different – leads to their continued exploitation in zoos, despite the harm it causes to them and their free-living counterparts.
The Dark and Tragic History of Apes in Zoos
Accounts of the keeping of great apes in modern zoos date back to the 1800s, when individual animals were stolen from their wild homes and transported for display to zoo visitors. Most apes died in transit, or shortly after arrival. Those who survived, for however short a period that may be, were often established as objects of ridicule. Dressed in human clothes and given props to interact with, these profoundly complex and sentient beings were reduced to comedic exhibits before dying grossly premature deaths. The practice of ridiculing great apes in zoos for human amusement continued until recent times. “Chimp’s Tea Parties” were staged at London Zoo in the United Kingdom from the early 1900s to the late 1970s, with some other zoos continuing the practice up until the early 2000s.
Captive Breeding for Conservation Purposes Is a Lie
Since that time, zoos have moved away from the ridicule of past decades and, instead, now claim to be concerned with the conservation of great ape species. The zoo industry says that its holding of captive animals and continued breeding of them serves to protect free-living populations. However, great ape experts have categorically confirmed that captive breeding has no place in great ape conservation efforts, not least because animals born in zoos are not released to the wild.
Keeping Great Apes in Zoos Is an Animal Welfare Disaster
The welfare of great apes is significantly compromised given the strictly limited environment that these animals are forced to live in when displayed in zoos. The complex, hierarchical, “fission/fusion” societies commonly found in great ape populations (communities that split into smaller groups and come back together based on internal and external influences) cannot be replicated in zoos; enclosures are many magnitudes smaller than great ape home ranges; and species-specific needs simply cannot be met in captive situations. All of this leads to suffering, including the worrying prevalence of stereotypic behaviors: meaningless, repetitive behaviors such as pacing, head twisting, regurgitating and re-ingesting food, and self-harm, among others. Stereotypies are signals of severe, compounded stress which are not seen in free-living populations. Stereotypies are so common in zoos that the use of pharmaceuticals to treat mental health conditions in captive apes is documented.
Captive Great Apes Suffer Chronic Health Issues
Chronic health and welfare issues are common in captive great apes, but so, too, are risks to both animal and human safety. Harambe the gorilla was famously shot and killed in 2016 after a zoo failed to prevent a young visitor from falling into the gorilla’s enclosure. His death triggered a global conversation around captive great apes but, ultimately, did not prevent future tragedies. These include the killing of four chimpanzees in a Swedish zoo following their escape in 2022 and the death of Eyare, a young gorilla, who was killed by a hydraulic door in a zoo in Calgary in 2024. Other great apes have been killed by enclosure mates as they have no means of escape in their small living spaces during conflict.
Learn More in Born Free USA’s Latest Report
Our Captive Cousins: The Plight of Great Apes in Zoos, lays out a compelling case against the captivity of some of our closest genetic kin. We hope you will join us in calling for an end to the keeping of great apes and other wild animals in zoos, and support their protection in their natural homes, where they live in freedom.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Liz
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